Part LIII: A Relaxing Cruise

Misty and Ash lay out on sun chairs next to each other, holding hands, on the aft deck of the cruise ship as they made their way to Chrysanthemum Town for the first of the two Contests they would be hitting on the cruise. Pikachu and Piplup were with them in their own little mini chairs basking in the sun as well as the ship cut through the calm waters towards their destination. It felt like they were doing nothing but they had a Contest to get to and this was the best way so why not enjoy moments like these when they had them.

Misty was in a new dark blue bikini that she had bought in Fuchsia City and that matched eyes well, only it was a shade darker than them. It was just the right size, unlike the thing Dawn had opted to wear when she'd faced Ash and had since apologized for, but it still drew the eye because it was a bikini after all.

That eye was, of course, Ash's and Misty grinned every time she felt his eyes on her for a second when he thought she wasn't looking. Sure he'd seen her completely naked many times but the alure of the little clothes was something that made it tantalizing for later if they could get a moment without Piplup planning something to prevent their fun. In fairness, she was doing the same with Ash so she couldn't blame him for enjoying the view.

All Ash was wearing was a pair of swimming trunks that fell just past his knees. His Poke Balls were on his waistband in case he needed them. Misty was keeping hers in a small bag by her chair along with the sunscreen and other essentials she she needed. The rest of their things were in their room.

The only other thing Ash had on was his ever-present hat that was tilted low to shield his eyes. His tanned and muscular torso was on full display, years of constant training and traveling had givinn Ash a physic that Misty couldn't help but appreciate and unlike Ash, she was wearing sunglasses so she could ogle her boyfriend without getting caught.

"So have you decided your strategy for the Contest?" Ash asked Misty breaking the silence of the moment, and Misty's latest glance at Ash, to address something they needed to talk about. "We should be nearing Chrysanthemum Town so we should at least make sure we both know what the plan is for there."

While Ash knew the three Pokémon he was using and had spent as much time as possible practicing with them during their allotted time to use the practice facility, as well as determining who would be used in the appeals and which 2 would be in the battle stage should he advance, Misty hadn't decided yet. She was sticking with the 6 she had on her prior to the Wallace Cup while trying to determine who to use for the Chrysanthemum Town Contest.

"I was thinking about that and I've decided that I'm going to go with Buneary in the appeals." Misty said no longer looking at Ash as she was currently enjoying the sun again. "I haven't used her yet this year and she was sent back to the ranch for the Wallace Cup so I think she deserves it. She loves Contests, especially the appeals part, so it's her turn to show Kanto just how cute and adorable she is."

"Yeah that is a good idea." Ash agreed thinking on it and realizing that Buneary was the best choice for Misty. "She probably feels a little left out and as you said, she does love her appeals. Plus with a move like Ice Beam in her arsenal, she can really shine as there is so much that move allows her to do."

"True and have a great routine planned for an appeal that just needs some practice so she's ready to go." Misty said. "As for the battle round, I was thinking of going with my first duo of old and new by using Espeon and Mamoswine together. Their moves complement one another pretty well and I want to get the experience of working with Pokémon who haven't been together long. While Gloom and Pinsir are a pair who's bond is too deep to separate, Espeon will have to pair with someone at some point if I want to use her in the Grand Festival so this is a good experience for her. Same would apply if I catch any new Pokémon on this trip."

"Makes sense, a wise move to try that in this Contest when you can afford to make a mistake." Ash agreed with a nod. "I think it will work out and you have been training with all of them so just focus on the pair for the rest of the trip before the Contest and you will be good."

"I know and I have your help to make sure they are fully ready." Misty said turning her head to give Ash a kiss on his cheek before turning his own question back on him. "I'm still confused by your strategy though. That's not a pair I thought would work well together in battle."

"They may not appear so on paper but they make up for it in other ways that benefit them." Ash said with a smile. "Plus no one will see a pair like that coming."

"Oh for sure, that's a pair right out of the Ash Ketchum playbook." Misty said with a chuckle. "It will throw your opponent for a loop trying to figure out why you've chosen that pair."

"Precisely." Ash agreed with a grin. "Plus they complement each other better than you would think so all I need is some more training to have them ready. The appeal is what I'm more concerned with as he's never really been used in that manner."

"Well I am helping you with that and I think you can do a good job so long as you stick to your current plan." Misty said thinking over Ash's equally odd choice for an appeal Pokémon but seeing as he'd limited himself to the remaining Pokémon that hadn't been used his hands were pretty much tied when it came to choices. "Plus that way you will see what else he can do if you use him in the Indigo Conference."

"True that is why I'm going with him in the appeals, to refamiliarize myself with his moves and how he uses them." Ash agreed. "It will be interesting if nothing else."

"It always is with you, if it wasn't then I'd be worried." Misty laughed before changing the topic a little. "I feel like this cruise is just what we needed though."

"How so?" Ash asked curiously looking over at his girlfriend and failing to meet her eyes at first glance.

"Well think of it." Misty said. "We spent the first few months running around doing as much as possible, I mean you had 4 full battles and I had 2 Contests in that time, that you ended up getting sick and we were forced to slow down. Then we had a more leisurely time with the HopHopHop Town Contest, your battle with Erika in Celadon City and the Wallace Cup but we were almost always training or traveling when not in those events. Then there was the blur that was our brief time in Fuchsia City."

"True we didn't spend as much time there as I would have liked." Ash said with a sigh. "It was nice to see Brock again but I wish we had more time with him to enjoy the city and surrounding area."

"Same but the timing didn't work out for us unfortunately." Misty agreed. "But now we are basically forced to take it easy for several weeks. We can train but only for a few hours a day, but we also get to see the islands, enter Contests, and have a good time while keeping to schedule and ending where you need to be for your next full battle. It's a slower pace than before and this time you're not sick so we can actually enjoy ourselves during this break."

"I can see that though I do miss you in that nurse outfit." Ash said thinking on Misty's words with a little tease for his girlfriend to blush at before he continued. "Of course training is important and we get to do that as well as having adventures. Who knows, the island stops may have fun activities for us to do as well."

Misty nodded and hoped that Ash was right. They had only stopped at one island so far and it had been more a of a tourist location with little for them to do but enjoy a relaxing date day as a couple with no worries or weird adventures. It had honestly been a little dull without something blowing up but at the same time she was with Ash so it had been fun.

There were another two stops planned after Chrysanthemum Town and before they reached the Gardenia Town Contest so there was bound to be something fun on those islands. It was even said one had a mystery on it which Ash was looking forward to it trying to solve so Misty was expecting something wild when they got there.

Yup, it was a nice, relaxing cruise with nothing exciting happening until they got to Chrysanthemum Town. At least that was the plan until the moment Misty thought it because of course she couldn't have a moment of peace the second she realized she had one.

Arceus decided that he would have a sense of humor at their expense today because as Misty was enjoying the relaxing cruise there was an explosion from behind the ship that sent a geyser of water onto the aft deck in front of them. It was immediately followed by a twanging sound and a net shot out and captured Pikachu and Piplup where they lounging before hauling them back to a trio of wet, familiar people.

"Team Rocket!" Ash said instantly on his feet as the incompetent trio with Poke Ball in hand. "You again! I thought we were done with you stalking me at last."

"Yeah same, it was nice not having to constantly beat you three." Misty grumbled as she stood, putting her hand in her back and pulling out a Poke Ball, smiling at her choice. "What are you doing here?"

"Like a bad penny, we always return." Jessie said striking a pose.

"And it's not like we ever learn." James added as he struck his own pose as they began their motto.

"Prepare for trouble!" Jessie said.

"And make it double!" James added as they began their motto.

"To protect the world from devastation!"

"To unite all peoples within our nation!"

"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"

"To extend our reach to the stars above!"

"Jessie!"

"James!"

"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now or prepare to fight!"

"Meowth that's right!" Meowth added as he flipped over his teammates and into position in front of them.

"Wobbuffet!"

"Mime, mime."

"I can't say that I missed that." Misty said with a sigh. "And just as I was getting used to not hearing it."

"Me neither." Ash said as he glared at his old enemies. "So what brings you losers here? We have been enjoying not running into you three for the last few months."

"I will have ya know that da boss sent us away on a special mission." Meowth said with a wide grin showing off his canines in the process. "We are that important that he wanted us to set up another new base in a different region that is ready for us to conquer it."

"Yeah, it seems like that region's team is up to something so we need to spy on them and then steal their stuff." Jessie said with a taunt. "Then, when they fall, we will be there to swoop in and take full control."

"So you two are so annoying that you were once again exiled away from Kanto by your boss." Ash noted. "Wish you had stayed there and not returned; we could have finally been done with you."

"We were not exiled." James said stamping his foot indignantly. "We were merely reassigned to prove ourselves again after our failure in Unova."

"Yeah and now we're back to give da boss a nice, heavily embellished, report." Meowth added before holding up the net with Pikachu and Piplup in it. "But when we saws yous in Fuchsia City before leaving to see da boss we decided to follow you and bring him a gift of this Pikachu. The Piplup is a bonus and ensures that you won't use that nasty electricity of yours lest you fry poor whittle Piplup as well."

"I don't need electricity to beat you." Ash said as he threw the Poke Ball in his hand. "Gengar, I choose you."

"That's new." James said his eyes wide in surprise as Ash's Shadow Pokémon appeared before him with a maniacal laugh as he looked at the unknown trio with interest ready for to fight their Pokémon. "When'd the twerp get that."

"Lavender Town and that's not all that's new with us." Misty said throwing out her own Poke Ball. "Espeon, you're up."

Espeon burst forth with a mewl of challenge and Team Rocket gasped at the vibrantly green psychic type that appeared before them. Espeon saw the trio and narrowed her eyes at them, they were the same trio who had tried to catch her the day she'd met her Misty. Sure she owed them for blasting her into the air and then into Misty's face but that was beside the point. They weren't nice to Pokémon and neither were their Pokémon. Now she was stronger, she was going to make them pay for trying to catch her.

"Is that the Eevee we tried to catch a while back?" Jessie said her eyes wide. "It's beautiful now, I didn't know that that was the color of a shiny Espeon. I must have her; she will be the jewel I need to accent my own beauty."

"It is but you aren't getting my Espeon." Misty said taking a battle stance which felt odd in just a bikini but she could make do to beat these 3 morons. "She wants revenge on you so I'll give it to her."

"We shall see, Amoonguss, you're up." James said throwing out a Poke Ball.

"You too Frillish." Jessie said tossing her own Poke Ball.

The two Unova Pokémon, one an oversized fungus thing while the other was a pink jellyfish like Pokémon, burst forth and stood in front of their trainers. Misty looked at them in confusion and if it wasn't a battle where Piplup was in a net she would have scanned them with her Pokedex to learn more about them. Oddly, Ash also looked confused at the Pokémon. Apparently these Pokémon were new to him.

"When did you get those Pokémon?" Ash asked his confuse showing. "You never had them in Unova whenever we met."

"Oh but we did, we just got them while you were off doing your usual league conference thing that we didn't bother with as we had better plans." Jessie said. "And they are better than most of our other Pokémon so they're up."

"Ah that explains it, I left right after Vertress so I never say you three again." Ash said. "Well doesn't matter, I'll still beat you."

"Same." Misty said. "Espeon, Attract. Aim it at all three Pokémon."

Instantly Espeon gave a seductive wink at the trio of Pokémon before her and hearts shot out at them. Ash grinned, this was a great strategy and he was ready to act. He knew that Meowth was male, he just had to hope that the other two were as well but something in his gut told him that the pink color of Frillish was more than met the eye.

"Not again." Meowth groaned as he activated his Fury Swiped and tried and failed to cut the hearts out of the air.

"Dodge them." Both Jessie and James ordered but it was too late and there wasn't enough space on the deck for their Pokémon to get out of the way.

The hearts hit home. Instantly they exploded on Meowth and Amoonguss and their eyes turned to hearts indicating that they were now infatuated. However, the attack didn't work at all on Frillish. It just went through it and fizzled out as if nothing happened.

"That won't work on my Frillish." Jessie with a cackling laugh. "Not only is she a girl, the pink gives that away, and we know that Espeon is one as well, but she's a ghost type so it shouldn't work regardless."

"Of course because that's just my luck." Misty grumbled; she had wanted to end this early but it looked like at least with Frillish she'd have to fight it. "Oh well, Espeon, use Shadow Ball."

"Block it with your own Frillish." Jessie countered. "Don't let it hit you."

"Gengar, hit them with Night Shade." Ash ordered going with an attack that wouldn't miss. "Pikachu, see if you can escape with Iron Tail but only if you can do so without hurting Piplup."

Pikachu just shook his head to indicate that he couldn't because of his proximity to Piplup who was pissed at being captured and trying not to panic. That didn't matter though as a flash of purple and black light shot out of Gengar's eyes and hit Amoonguss in the chest, blasting him and into a still infatuated Meowth. The force of the hit cause both Pokémon, and James who was in their wake as well, to hit the deck as Meowth to drop the bag holding Pikachu and Piplup.

Instantly Pikachu and Piplup were free. Both ran back to their trainers as fast as they could to get clear of the area and wait for Misty to finish dealing with Frillish. Pikachu's cheeks sparked in anticipation of the moment Ash unleashed him.

The Shadow Balls collided in midair and exploded as expected but Misty grinned as an idea came to her. Now that she knew that Frillish was at least part ghost type she had a plan to win this quickly. She thanked Ash and his Gengar for that plan.

"Quick Attack." Misty ordered.

"Ha that won't work twerpette." Jessie scoffed as Espeon shot at Frillish as fast as she could. "Normal type attacks won't work, Frillish stay there and laugh at Espeon."

"I know, unlike you I'm not an idiot." Misty said with a grin as Espeon passed through Frillish. "Shadow Ball again then return to me with Quick Attack to get clear of the area."

Espeon grinned as she twist in midair, opened her mouth and blasted Frillish in the back of the head with a Shadow Ball. The super effective ghost type attack drove the Floating Pokémon into the deck. As that was happening, Espeon used a stunned Jessie's face to push off, causing her to fall over and onto the tangle that was her partners, before she sped back to Misty's side. As soon Espeon was past Pikachu Ash gave the order.

"Pikachu, Thunderbolt." Ash called out as Frillish was getting up. "Maximum power!"

"Pikachu!" Pikachu yelled as his Thunderbolt slammed into Frillish before the water and ghost type could react.

The second super effective attack was too much for Frillish as she fainted instantly. Pikachu kept it up and blasted her back and into the now pile of Team Rocket and their Pokémon, including a stunned looking Wobbuffet who was now the only one still standing. Instantly all were fried and screamed in pain. A second later there was an explosion and they were sent blasting into the air.

"We're blasting off again!" James and Jessie moaned, Meowth was still infatuated so couldn't speak before they became a twinkle in the sky with one last word carrying back to them. "Wobbuffet."

"Well that was odd." Ash said as he congratulated a happy Gengar on a job well done. "I had been enjoying my time without them but I guess they were bound to return eventually."

"Yeah there were always a nuisance." Misty agreed rubbing Espeon's head affectionately before getting some Poffins out for all the Pokémon as treats for what they'd just been through. "I'd just gotten use to them not being in our lives so of course that would be the moment they showed up again. I wonder where they were though. They claim to have been in a different region but which one?"

"Well I doubt it was Unova." Ash said as he thought over the regions. "Most likely one of the regions we haven't visited but it doesn't matter at the moment."

"Why not?" Misty asked.

"Well they said they were back here for a meeting with their leader." Ash said though he still didn't know who the boss of Team Rocket was but if he ever met the man he'd help end his evil just as he had done with Teams Magma, Aqua and Galactic. "So I bet they are going back to wherever they are based to give him their report. Then, when they're done, they will return to wherever they currently are based and we don't see them again."

"True." Misty said with a smile. "And then all we have to do is avoid going to one of the regions they are in and we may never see them again. That would be nice, they are really annoying."

"One in three chance we end up where they are." Ash said. "If we do go to another region next year that is."

"Ash, we are going to another region next year, we just don't know what it will be for." Misty said pointedly. "I know you; you can't stay still long enough to stay in a region for longer than a year and I want to see the world with you so we are going to somewhere new next year."

"Yeah who am I kidding, of course we are." Ash said with a laugh that Misty joined him in. "We just have to decide which on we want to visit."

"Well we can do that later when we have a better sense of what we want to do next year." Misty said snuggling up to Ash as he wrapped his arms around her and held her close. "For now let's enjoy the cruise and the upcoming Contests."

Ash just smiled back before he bent down to capture Misty's lips with his as they enjoyed their moment in the sun, all their Pokémon looking away at the strange display of human mating rituals that made no sense to them. Of course, Ash and Misty's moment was ruined not by Piplup, as was often the case when the pesky penguin felt that they had had enough fun and was about to end it himself, but by Misty's Poketch going off.

"Great, just when it was getting good." Misty mumbled breaking the kiss with Ash to look at her wrist and noted what it was, it was her alarm. "Well it's still good just in a different sense and we can finish this later."

"What's that?" Ash asked still holding Misty close to him.

"Our training slot is slated for 15 minutes time." Misty said disengaging from Ash's arms with a little regret but they needed to get ready for training. "So we should head back to the cabin, change and then head down to the battlefield so as to get the maximum time possible training. There are a few things I need to work on with Buneary now that I am going to use her in the appeals, she needs to get everything perfect for it."

"True and I need to work with mine as much as possible." Ash said as he and Misty returned Gengar and Espeon respectfully. "At least there was one good thing that came out of Team Rocket attacking again."

"Oh and what was that?" Misty asked as Pikachu and Piplup took their favorite perches before the couple left the aft deck hand in hand. "What good could come from those 3."

"Well they did allow us to get a little battle experience." Ash pointed out. "It's not much but it's some experience and that all adds up. Plus we still work great as a team."

"We always do that though." Misty said giving her boyfriend's hand a squeeze. "Who knows though, maybe we will come across a tag battle competition or something on this cruise and remind everyone just how good we are."

"True we may but nothing seems to point to that." Ash said though admittedly he didn't know what the other island stops would have in store for them. "But if we do…"

"We are totally entering and winning it because we are an amazing couple." Misty said beaming at Ash as they reached the cabin they were sharing from the cruise. "And you know it."

"Definitely." Ash said with a smile as they went inside. "You'll get no complaints from me on that front."

It didn't take long for them to change and head down to the battlefield though this time in a comfortable silence. Both were thinking on what they wanted to accomplish from the hour they had to train for the upcoming Chrysanthemum Town Contest. One this was for sure; it was going to be a lot of fun. Neither could wait as the ship slowly moved towards the next obstacle in the way of their dreams. It was time to train for the future.